Soft and Chewy Oatmeal Cookies

If you like your oatmeal cookies soft, chewy, and absolutely full of oats, you’ve come to the right place today.

These oatmeal cookies are all of those things – making them my perfect oatmeal cookies!

A few weeks ago, a friend of mine texted me in dire need of an oatmeal cookie recipe. Happy to oblige a cookie emergency, I sent him my Rolo stuffed Oatmeal Cookie recipe. That’s a great recipe and I love it a lot and until now, it was my go-to recipe. But that recipe got me to thinking more and more about the perfect oatmeal cookie, and how I hadn’t come up with one that met all my requirements yet.

First, they cannot be crunchy. (If it was up to me there would be no crunchy cookies. I like soft batch all the way!) To make these perfectly soft, I used lots of brown sugar, less baking soda, 2 eggs, and I chilled my dough. I bake the dough cold, so it stays puffier and the cookies stay soft.

Second, they must be chewy. The chewiness is, in part, from all of the oats in the cookie. These cookies are loaded with oats to satisfy my chewy cookie requirement. Just looking at them you can see they scream oatmeal – and that was my goal.

The extra oats also fulfill my third requirement: they must have lots and lots of oats! I want you to know they’re oatmeal cookies when you eat them. I used old-fashioned oats in these cookies. Old-fashioned oats don’t break down as fast as quick-cook ones too, which leaves you with a more hearty cookie. They’re chewier and have a thicker texture because of the old-fashioned oats.

If you prefer using quick cook oats, you can most likely substitute them in this recipe. I haven’t done it yet, but I have in others.

And finally, fourth, they cannot have raisins.

I know, I’m strange. I’m not a huge raisin fan. *Hangs head in shame*

I enjoy raisins in trail mix. I enjoy them in cereal. I’d probably even eat a box of them for a snack if I was hungry enough. But in baked goods? No. I’d rather have chocolate.

My desire for chocolate and oatmeal cookies is what led me to add M&Ms to these. M&M’s in cookies are the best, but if you’re a diehard oatmeal raisin fan, no worries. You can add raisins in addition to (or instead of) the chocolate.

Soft and Chewy Oatmeal Cookies

Soft and full of oats, these oatmeal cookies are chewy and perfect for your oatmeal cookie craving.

Ingredients

1teaspoonground cinnamon

1/2teaspoonsalt

1/2teaspoonbaking soda

1 1/3cupsall-purpose flour

1/2cupunsalted butter— softened

3/4cuppacked brown sugar

1/4cupgranulated sugar

2large eggs

2teaspoonsvanilla extract

3 2/3cupsold-fashioned oats

1cupM&Ms— chocolate chips, nuts, or raisins, plus more for the tops

Instructions

Note: this dough needs to be chilled. Plan ahead!

In a medium bowl, whisk cinnamon, salt, baking soda, and flour. Set aside.

Cream butter and sugars in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. (You can also use a large bowl and a hand mixer.) Cream until smooth, about 1-2 minutes. Mix in eggs and vanilla, beat until smooth.

Gradually mix in dry ingredients until smooth, being careful not to over mix. Add oats and mix, then stir in 1 cup of M&M candies (or your desired mix-ins).

At this point, you can chill your dough for 3-4 hours, however I like to scoop the cookie dough out first to cut my chilling time. Scoop 2 tablespoon sized balls of dough and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment or wax paper.

Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 1/2 hours.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350°F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper or a silpat baking mat and place the cookie dough balls 2” apart. Press a few more M&Ms (or other mix-ins) on the top of the cookies. This is optional, but makes them look prettier!

Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the bottom is slightly golden. Cool on cookie sheets for 10 minutes, then remove to a rack to cool completely.

Store cookies in an airtight container for up to 4 days. They can also be frozen in an airtight container or ziploc bag for up to 2 months.

Nothing better than M & Ms in oatmeal cookies! And these are so thick and soft. Don’t hang your head in shame. Raisins in cookies are so not my thing!

LOL, thank you Mir!

These are perfect, Dorothy! I don’t mind raisins in cookies but I know you are not into them, at all 🙂 Just as well because I love seeing these M&Ms staring back at me! Very soft, very chewy, with tons of oats – that ‘s my perfect cookie too! Pinned 🙂